News Analysis India

Tag: Mamata Banerjee

  • Mamata Banerjee likely to contest from Bhabanipur constituency, sitting MLA vacates seat

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal agriculture minister and veteran TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay vacated the Bhabanipur assembly seat on Friday, paving way for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contest bypoll from her old bastion, party sources said.

    Banerjee, who lost the recently concluded polls from Nandigram, needs to get elected to the assembly within six months to hold on to the chief minister’s chair.

    TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, however, refused to divulge anything on Banerjee’s re-election, and said the party will come up with a statement at an appropriate time.

    Chattopadhyay tendered his resignation to Assembly speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay in the presence of senior party leader and his ministerial colleague Partha Chatterjee.

    Before leaving for the state legislature, he told PTI that he would happily abide by the party’s decision.

    ALSO READ: End the cycle of vendetta politics in West Bengal

    “I am going to resign as the MLA of Bhabanipur seat. This is my decision as well as that of the party.

    I am happily abiding by it,” the agriculture minister said.

    The speaker, on his part, said, “Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay has resigned from the Bhabanipur seat voluntarily.

    I have accepted his resignation letter after confirming that he has taken the decision on his own without any pressure or threat.”

    A section of party members speculated that the septuagenarian politician might be fielded from the Khardah seat, where bypoll has been necessitated following the death of party leader Kajal Sinha due to COVID-19.

    There are others who claimed that Chattopadhyay might be nominated to Rajya Sabha.

    The veteran TMC leader said, “We must work to ensure victory of our leader Mamata Banerjee from a seat, as Bengal can prosper and move forward when she is at the helm.

    As there were talks within the party about her election to the assembly, and I was tapped in this regard, I readily agreed.”

    He, however, clarified that he isn’t too keen on Upper House nomination.

    Asked if he would quit as a minister, Chattopadhyay said, “I will follow the party’s instructions.

    However, I am not aware of any such rule, which entails my resignation from the ministerial post.” Chattopadhyay, who had earlier represented the Rashbehari assembly seat, contested from Bhabanipur this year and defeated BJP’s Rudranil Ghosh by a convincing margin.

    Banerjee had won the seat in 2011 and 2016.

  • Mamata attacks Centre over CBI arrests

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday called the CBI’s arrest of three Trinamool Congress MLAs, including two ministers, an act of vendetta politics. She said the two ministers, who were arrested, were playing a key role in the state’s fight against Covid-19.  It was for the first time she was speaking in public after Monday’s arrest of three party MLAs by the central agency. 

    “Two ministers Bobby (Firhad Hakim) and Subrata Mukherjee were playing a key role (in the battle against Covid-19). Bobby works hard and is always on the field. He was among those who took the vaccine during its trial run,” the chief minister said.  “They are detained for four days. We are dealing with the Covid situation by adopting alternative measures. But no one can substitute anyone,’’ Mamata said at the state secretariat.

    Without naming the BJP, she said, “They don’t have time to look at the plight of the common people at this hour of crisis. But they have time to practice politics of vendetta.’’The CBI on Monday, arrested Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee, Transport and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada sting operation case. 

    On Thursday evening, Mamata, while returning to her residence from the state secretariat went to Hakim’s house and met his daughter Sabba. She reportedly told Sabba that it is a political battle which the TMC will win. Though Mamata did not name the BJP, her party functionaries have accused the saffron camp of using the central agency against the TMC leaders as a retribution for their defeat in the recently-concluded Assembly elections in the state.

    The TMC’s spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the BJP is playing a game of dirty politics. “BJP’s national vide-president Mukul Roy and Nandigram MLA Suvendu Adhikari are also accused in the case. But they are left untouched because they are under the umbrella of the BJP,” he alleged.         

  • ‘CMs sat like puppets, humiliated’: Mamata says PM Modi’s Covid meeting a a ‘super flop’

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Thursday described PM Narendra Modi’s meeting with chief ministers as a “super flop” event.

    Banerjee also said the meeting “humiliated” the participant CMs as none of them was allowed to speak. 

    The Prime Minister had no option left other than fleeing away hiding his face as he had no answer in the wake of the second wave of Covid pandemic resulted by the Centre’s mismanagement, the CM alleged.

    Urging all participants to protest for not being allowed to speak in Thursday’s meeting, Mamata also said the chief ministers are not Modi’s bonded labourers or puppets.

    The sharp rift between the state government and the Centre surfaced at a time when the CBI arrested three TMC MLAs, including two ministers. The ruling party’s supporters described it as a fallout of BJP’s defeat in Assembly elections.

    ALSO READ | BJP says Mamata Banerjee tried to derail PM Modi’s meeting with district magistrates

    “None of the chief ministers was allowed to speak for a second. Armed with documents, we were prepared to place our demands. All the chief ministers were sitting like puppets. We are not bonded labourers. We, the chief ministers, felt humiliated. It was a casual and super flop meeting,” Mamata lashed out.

    The CM accused Modi of bypassing the federal structure. “This was not a one-way communication. It was one-way humiliation. One nation, all humiliation. Is the Prime Minister so insecure that he didn’t want to listen to the chief ministers? Why is he so scared? If he didn’t want to hear the chief ministers, why did he call us? They are bulldozing the country’s federal structure with their arrogance. What is happening is dictatorship, like martial law is going on.”  

    Hitting out at the Centre for not providing vaccines, oxygen and essential medicines to treat Covid patients, Mamata said, “The Centre is announcing different time gaps between the two doses. Is there any research or specific guideline? In the meeting, they (Centre) didn’t talk about vaccine, oxygen and Remdesivir. He (Modi) fled away hiding his face because he had no answer on all these issues.”

    Referring to the heart wrenching scene of bodies floating on the Ganga, the CM said how many central teams were sent to BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Bihar after it was found that bodies of Covid patients were floating on the river.

    Mamata, had on Thursday, written to Modi requesting him to provide 20 lakh vaccines for the both state government and central government employees.  

  • ‘Only CMs of BJP-ruled states allowed to speak’: Mamata calls PM Modi’s COVID meeting ‘super-flop’

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday complained that state chief ministers were reduced to being puppets and not allowed to speak at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting on the COVID-19 situation with district magistrates and officials despite being invited.

    Alleging that the Prime Ministers meeting was a “super flop”, Banerjee said that she along with her counterparts from many states were not allowed to speak, which was akin to insulting them.

    She also claimed that only CMs of the BJP-ruled states were allowed to speak at the meeting, while others were “reduced to puppets”.

    The Prime Ministers interaction was a planned event with district magistrates on the COVID-19 situation. However, several chief ministers, including those from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, where these officers are posted, were also invited.

    “This was a casual and super flop meeting. Only CMs of BJP-ruled states were allowed to speak and others were reduced to (being) puppets.

    “We feel insulted and humiliated. This is an attempt to bulldoze the federal structure of the country. PM Modi is so insecure that he did not listen to us,” Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat ‘Nabanna’.

    ALSO READ | BJP says Mamata Banerjee tried to derail PM Modi’s meeting with district magistrates

    BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari counter-attacked his former mentor, tweeting today our respected CM has once again shown her total disinterest in administration.

    True to her style, she has politicised a meeting Honble PM held with district officials, where grassroot level practices to fight COVID-19 were being discussed.

    Adhikari complained that while Banerjee had skipped several meetings with the PM, she now hijacks a PM-DM meet to say she was denied a chance to speak.

    Banerjee however complained that the prime minister neither asked how West Bengal is handling the COVID situation and nor enquire about the situation stock of vaccines or oxygen.

    “There was not a single question from the PM about the ‘black fungus’,” she said, adding that four such cases have been detected in the state.

    Referring to the PM’s claim that the COVID-19 caseload is reducing in the country, Banerjee asked, “If the total number of cases is declining, why are so many deaths due to the coronavirus infection being reported.”

  • BJP says Mamata Banerjee tried to derail PM Modi’s meeting with district magistrates

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The BJP hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday, alleging that she tried to derail Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with district magistrates (DMs).

    Accusing Banerjee of not allowing the DM of North 24 Parganas to participate in the meeting of district officials with the prime minister, the BJP said her behaviour is highly condemnable.

    Modi held a second round of interaction with DMs and field officials on the COVID-19 pandemic on Thursday.

    “She (Banerjee) rarely attends the meetings called by the prime minister and today, she tried to derail the meeting between the prime minister and the district magistrates,” Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

    “If the prime minister is talking to the district magistrates on the good work done by them in their districts and sharing their good practices with others, what is wrong with that?” he asked.

    Prasad said Banerjee’s behaviour is “shameful” and “least expected” from a chief minister of a state.

    The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo should rise above politics and work for the welfare of people as the country needs to speak in unison, he said.

    Underlining that Modi has repeatedly been engaging himself with the stakeholders in handling the pandemic situation, Prasad said the prime minister has also spoken with the DMs of opposition-ruled states such as Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.

    Modi asked the officials on Thursday to record the spread of the coronavirus infection and its seriousness among youngsters and children, and cautioned them saying the challenge posed by COVID-19 will remain as long it is present in the country even on a “minor scale”.

    Meanwhile, Banerjee alleged that Modi’s meeting with the chief ministers on the COVID situation was “super flop”, as she and many of her counterparts from other states were not allowed to speak, which was akin to insulting them.

  • Mamata Banerjee writes to PM Modi, seeks 20 lakh vaccine doses for state, central govt employees 

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to provide at least 20 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine for inoculation of all state and central government employees.

    Banerjee, in her letter, also said that the Centre’s policies have “no room to accommodate the needs” of people who run greater risk of contracting the viral disease, including bankers, railway and airport employees, and those working in defence or coal sectors.

    “In Bengal, we have taken steps to vaccinate a large section of frontline and electorally engaged employees across several sectors. We still need minimum 20 lakh doses to cover all employees,” the chief minister wrote.

    She requested Modi to make available adequate number of vaccines for personnel engaged in “priority sectors” without further delay.

  • CM Mamata, law minister Ghatak made parties in CBI petition before HC to transfer Narada case 

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak have been made parties in a petition by the CBI before the Calcutta High Court seeking transfer of the Narada sting tape case from the state.

    A division bench presided by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal fixed the matter for hearing at 2 pm on Wednesday.

    The bench will also hear petitions by ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee for recall of its order staying the bail granted by a CBI court in connection with their arrest in the case, on Monday.

    Besides Banerjee and Ghatak, the probe agency has also made Trinamool Congress MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee a party in its petition before the high court.

    Representing the CBI, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta had on Monday evening told the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee that an extraordinary situation had evolved, with the chief minister of the state sitting on a dharna outside the office of the investigating agency here.

    The CBI also claimed that the law minister of West Bengal was present in court, where the accused were to be presented, along with a mob.

    The probe agency said that a number of followers of the arrested political leaders gheraoed the CBI office in Nizam Palace area, and did not allow its officers to move out to enable them to produce the accused in court.

    They were produced before the special CBI court through the virtual mode on Monday.

  • Kolkata HC comes down heavily on Mamata over protest

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may have been following her convention of agitations during the dharna at the CBI office in Kolkata on Monday, but it seems to have gone against the four party leaders arrested in the Narada sting operation case, with the High Court taking serious view of the matter, legal experts said. Pulling up Mamata Banerjee for the dharna, while Trinamool supporters agitated in front of the Central agency’s office, the Kolkata High Court in a late night sitting on Monday criticised the “manner in which pressure was sought to be put”. 

    Staying a CBI special court’s order granting interim bail to the four accused and remanding them — TMC ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, MLA Madan Mitra and Kolkata former mayor Sovan Chatterjee in judicial custody, the court observed: “We are not touching the merits of the controversy but the manner in which pressure was sought to be put will not inspire confidence of the people in the rule of law.” 

    Legal experts in Kolkata High Court said that Mamata was following her convention by staging protest. “It is her trademark style. She sat on dharna for one month in Singur against the then Left Front government’s land acquisition. She staged a sit-in-demonstration in Nandigram. She again sat on dharna when the CBI arrived at the office of the former police commissioner of Kolkata Rajeev Kumar. Now, it seems, her dharna at the CBI’s office went against the accused in the High Court,” said a senior lawyer.

    The CBI, in its petition, stated the details of Mamata’s act and the obstructions created by the TMC supporters in front its Nizam Palace office. The investigating agency also sought the court’s approval to transfer the case to another state. Referring to CBI’s petition, the High Court said: “In our opinion, the aforesaid facts are sufficient to take cognizance of the present matter with reference to the request of the learned Solicitor General of India for examination of the issue regarding transfer of the trial.”

    In the petition, CBI also alleged that Bengal law minister Malay Ghatak, along with supporters, mobbed the court where the accused were to be presented. The central agency had to produce the four accused in front of the lower court’s magistrate virtually.

  • West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee creating hurdles for CBI in its Narada sting operations probe: BJP

    Banerjee had rushed to the CBI office, shortly after state ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and TMC MLA Madan Mitra were arrested by the central agency.

  • Total anarchy: Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar slams TMC agitation after arrests of ministers, MLA

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Expressing concern over agitation by TMC workers outside the CBI office here and elsewhere in West Bengal after the arrest of two ministers and others in the Narada sting case, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday alleged that there is “total lawlessness and anarchy” in the state and the police and administration are in “silence” mode.

    The governor urged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to contain the “explosive situation” and asked her to weigh the “repercussions of such lawlessness and failure of constitutional mechanism”. He also accused the state administration of allowing the “situation to drift” and “not taking any tangible action” against the agitators.

    Message @MamataOfficial “Total lawlessness & anarchy. Police and administration in silence mode. Hope you realize repercussions of such lawlessness and failure of constitutional mechanism.Time to reflect and contain this explosive situation that is worsening minute by minute.”
    — Governor West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar (@jdhankhar1) May 17, 2021

    Taking to Twitter, Dhankhar said, “Message @MamataOfficial Total lawlessness & anarchy. Police and administration in silence mode. Hope you realize repercussions of such lawlessness and failure of constitutional mechanism. Time to reflect and contain this explosive situation that is worsening minute by minute.”

    Hundreds of TMC supporters launched a protest outside the CBI office here and threw water bottles and stones at the central force personnel who barricaded the CGO Complex in Nizam Palace where the central agency’s office is located.

    Holding party flags and shouting slogans against Dhankhar, a group of TMC activists demonstrated outside the two gates of Raj Bhavan here. “Invited attention @MamataOfficial on channels and in public domain I notice arson and pelting of stones at CBI office. Pathetic that Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police are just onlookers. Appeal to you to act and restore law and order,” the governor said.

    ALSO READ| Follow lockdown norms, will fight battle legally: TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee to protesting workers

    He asked the government and the state police to take all steps to maintain law and order. “Concerned at alarming situation. Call upon @MamataOfficial to follow constitutional norms & rule of law. Sad- situation is being allowed to drift with no tangible action by authorities,” Dhankhar said on the microblogging site.

    The central agency on Monday morning arrested state ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, TMC MLA Madan Mitra as well as former minister Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada sting case in which politicians were purportedly caught taking money on camera.

    Officials said that the action comes as the central probe agency is likely to file its charge sheet in the case. Dhankhar had recently granted sanction to prosecute all the four leaders, following which the CBI finalised its charge sheet and moved to arrest them.

    The sting operation was purportedly conducted by Mathew Samuel of Narada TV news channel in 2014 wherein some people resembling TMC ministers, MPs and MLAs were allegedly seen receiving money from representatives of a fictitious company in lieu of favours.

    ALSO READ| TMC workers protest outside CBI’s Kolkata office after arrest of ministers, MLA

    The tapes were made public just before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal. The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the sting operation in March, 2017.